Police batons or night sticks have been known for over a hundred years. The early batons included a single cylindrical shaft which might have a handle grip at one end. These early night sticks might also be improved by the use of a lanyard or strap near the handle which could be worn around the wrist of the user.
Early inventors conceived idea of placing a plurality of devices within a single police baton. One such invention, by H. C. Reichard, U.S. Pat. No. 116,097, issued June 20, 1871, shows a police baton which incorporates a rattle and a pair of manacles within the single baton. Another device that shows a plurality of weapons was invented by a British subject, J. E. Peskett, U.K. Pat. No. 559,747, issued March 3, 1944. This patent shows a blade and blackjack-like weapon on either end of a baton.
The baton was further improved in later years by the addition of a handle located at one end thereof which extend at right angles thereto to permit the user to obtain a better grip upon the baton. The handle extending from the baton permitted additional maneuvers, such as spins and strikes. However, one problem with the spin maneuver was that the user was never certain where the baton would be at any particular moment through the 360 degrees of spin.
An example of a multi-handled baton is shown in a patent by M. Wong, U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,063, issued Oct. 4, 1977. This device seems to be designed more for throwing and does not incorporate many of the desirable features of the older, well-known police baton.
Examples of improved police batons utilizing a single handle mounted toward one end thereof and at right angles thereto may be found in a patent by J. H. Zentmyer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,912, issued Aug. 29, 1978; and in a patent by D. A. Raitto, U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,958, issued May 26, 1987.
There have been additional efforts to improve the police baton with the addition of an auxiliary handle that extends from the first handle which, in turn, extends from the main shaft of the baton. Such a device is shown in a patent by T. Kubota, U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,932, issued Nov. 3, 1987.
One problem with the newer batons having handles at a right angle to one end thereof is found when the user grasps the end of the baton opposite the right angled handle to hook the leg of an attacker, for example. When the smooth surface of the baton is being used, the attacker can grab the handled end of the baton and, due to the mechanical advantage created by the handle, disarm the individual defending himself with the baton.